The *Rusty Nail* cut its engines in deep space, millions of kilometers from the nearest Cognis relay. The silence of the void was heavy, peaceful, broken only by the cooling ticks of the reactor.

  Zero climbed out of the Titan's cockpit, his flight suit soaked in sweat, his nose bleeding from the neural strain. He stumbled onto the gantry, his mag-boots clicking against the deck.

  Val was there. Without a word, she shoved a bottle of water into his hand. "You're insane," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "But that was... good flying."

  "Professional flying," Zero corrected, taking a long drink.

  Jax slapped him on the back, the massive gauntlet of his Dread-Plate nearly knocking the wind out of him. The impact would have sent Zero spinning in the zero-g, but his magnetic soles held him firm. "Did you see his face? Silas looked like he swallowed a lemon!" The giant laughed, a deep, tectonic rumble that filled the bay.

  Cas spun around in her chair, her face lit by the glow of her screens. "You guys aren't going to believe this. The footage from the fight? It's viral. We're trending #1 on the **Dark-Mesh**. Every Scrapper from here to the Belt is watching that clip. 'Kill-Creds' are through the roof. We're not just rich; we're legends."

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  "Great," Zero said, wiping the blood from his lip. "We're famous. And hunted."

  "Now what?" Val asked, leaning against the railing.

  Zero looked at the Titan—at Orion. The machine hummed softly, the blue light of the core pulsing like a heartbeat.

  "We find Pirate Haven," Zero said. "We get supplies. We fix Orion."

  "And then?" Jax asked.

  "And then we burn them down," Zero said. "Cognis. The Mandate. All of it. We take their money, and we break their toys."

  A message pinged on Zero's **Link**. It was from Silas.

  *Tuition is due, Mr. Vex. I'll see you in the black.*

  Zero deleted it without hesitation. He looked out the viewport at the endless sea of stars. They were outlaws now. Ghosts. But for the first time in a long time, he wasn't alone.

  "We are the Human Trigger," Zero whispered, the words feeling like a promise. "And the safety is off."

  **[END OF BOOK ONE]**